On the morning of June 16, President Ma Ying-jeou attended ceremonies marking the opening of a new headquarters building for the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) and the 10th anniversary of that organization's founding. The president stressed that while there is still room for Taiwan's democracy to develop further, Taiwan can become a highly developed democracy. The situation in Taiwan, he said, will certainly have a considerable impact on mainland China and Chinese societies everywhere.
In remarks, the president first commented that all political parties in Germany have set up foundations with government financial support to liaison with other likeminded political parties, whether they be center-right, right-wing, centrist, center-left, or left-wing. The ultimate objective is to promote democracy and foster the development of democracy in other nations, he said. President Ma noted that this mechanism in Germany left a deep impression on him during his visit there 30 years ago.
President Ma noted that former US President Ronald Reagan in an address in 1982 stated that "the march of freedom and democracy ... will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history." This remark resonated with many people, he said, noting that not long thereafter the US Congress approved funding to establish the National Endowment for Democracy. This marked the beginning of efforts to export democracy via political parties and other avenues, he commented. At the time, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party each established an international affairs center to provide other nations with the so-called democracy assistance, the president stated.
President Ma furthermore remarked that these international affairs centers sought to promote American-style democracy in Latin America. In carrying out their agenda, however, they discovered that Germany had already begun promoting democracy in that region. With this in mind, the ROC government established the TFD so that each political party could receive government funding to support interaction with likeminded political parties overseas and foster mutual development, he said.
President Ma stated that the development of democracy in the ROC has been a lengthy process. He pointed out that while the founding of the nation took place 102 years ago, the ROC is still considered a "young nation" from the standpoint of its democratic development. The ROC, however, exhibits three characteristics in this regard: 1) the course of democratic development has not impacted the rapid development of the nation's economy, i.e. the nation seeks both political democracy and economic development simultaneously; 2) the nation has not had to pay a high price for democracy, nor has social chaos resulted; and 3) the election system is fair and transparent, success has come quite quickly, and as a result the handover of power among different parties at both the central and local levels has become commonplace. In addition, the president said, Taiwan's democratic development has been reflected favorably in various international ratings. But he acknowledged that Taiwan's democracy still has room to further improve.
President Ma also mentioned that renowned US author Fareed Zakaria in April 2003 published a book entitled "The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad." The book mentions that over 120 countries hold regular elections, but not necessarily each nation conforms with the standards of liberalism and democracy, he said, which highlights the fact that elections do not guarantee the quality of democracy. True democracy emphasizes "majority rule, combined with respect for the minority and tolerance of dissent," the president commented, adding that "tolerance of dissent" is the crux of this philosophy. He also noted that Hu Shih (胡適, 1891-1962, philosopher, essayist, and diplomat) had once said that "tolerance is even more important than freedom." This, the president noted, represents the true meaning of democracy.
President Ma stated that nations where democracy has been in place for relatively long periods have seen problems develop over the years. In discussions with Director Larry Diamond of Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, said the president, Professor Diamond told him that democracy in the United States is deteriorating in certain respects. The president hence pointed out that Taiwan should be on guard to prevent the same from happening here. For instance, he noted, in the course of elections here the Taiwanese have not demonstrated sufficient respect for the rule of law, so improvement is needed in this regard.
President Ma emphasized that even though Taiwan's democratic development has room to improve, Taiwan still can become a highly developed democracy. In particular, he said, at a time when Taiwan and mainland China are gradually developing closer ties, Taiwan's democratic politics will have a considerable impact on mainland China and Chinese societies everywhere. The president commented that Chinese culture dates back some 5,000 years, and the fact that democracy has developed in Taiwan means that it can be replicated in other Chinese societies. While the system of democracy originated in the West, he said, it is not incompatible with Eastern culture, and in fact it can take root and flourish here. President Ma expressed hope that the experience of the ROC's democratic development can spread to other places, and that it can grow, blossom, and bear fruit there.
Among those attending the event were TFD Chairman Wang Jin-Pyng (王金平), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), Judicial Yuan President Hau-Min Rai (賴浩敏), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-Yuan (李鴻源), and the head of the diplomatic corps in Taiwan Jacques Y. Sawadogo (Burkina Faso Ambassador to the ROC).